Mixed martial arts enthusiast Mark Zuckerberg is taking the gloves off, only this time instead of social media rival Elon Musk, he’s gunning for Tim Cook.
In a video post to his account on Meta’s Instagram, the company founder took his best shot at the Apple CEO’s new Vision Pro, after the mixed reality headset stole the thunder away from Zuckerberg’s $500 Quest 3 launched just four months prior.
“I expected that Quest would be the better value for most people, since it’s really good and it’s seven times less expensive,” the Meta boss said on Tuesday after revealing he just tried out Cook’s $3,500 device.
“But after using it, I don’t just think that Quest is the better value—I think that Quest is the better product, period.”
Zuckerberg, the fourth wealthiest entrepreneur in the world, just celebrated Meta’s single-day $200 billion gain in market value, the largest for any company on record, after posting stronger-than-expected Q4 results and news of its first-ever dividend.
Yet there was one blight in the earnings report: his company’s Reality Labs division responsible for Quest.
Not only did it post a loss of nearly $4.7 billion, an all-time high for a single quarter, it crossed the staggering mark of $42 billion in cumulative red ink to date.
Investors have since been pleading with Meta to end the constant destruction of shareholder value.
That’s in part because virtual reality headsets have simply struggled to gain a broader audience, despite the efforts of Zuckerberg and rival Sony.
Users frequently complain the bulky contraptions prove uncomfortable to wear for long periods, trigger nauseating bouts of motion sickness, and lack compelling content.
I prefer this … pic.twitter.com/kYzNrXktjm
— Robin Holland (@rnholl) February 4, 2024
The Quest 3 was supposed to address many of the shortcomings, including a slimmer design that is lighter in the front and a full-color passthrough so users can at all times navigate their physical environment with the headset on.
Apple’s Vision Pro has captured the imagination
But ever since Cook launched his Vision Pro earlier this month, which the Apple CEO deliberately branded a “spatial computer” (rather than a mixed reality headset), sentiment has shifted considerably.
The internet lit up with all manner of pictures, videos, and memes both praising Apple’s first all-new hardware device in years, as well as poking fun at those wearing it.
For once, though, people are at least talking about the technology.
“Apple Vision Pro is the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created,” boasted Cook, claiming it would “redefine how we connect, create, and explore.”
In Zuckerberg’s Instagram video—recorded using the Quest 3—the Meta CEO countered his device was in key aspects superior to Apple’s.
Not only did he point out it came with precision handheld controllers and lacked cables that can be a nuisance, Zuckerberg claimed it was simply more comfortable.
“I was surprised by how many tradeoffs they had to make to the quality of the device, to the comfort and ergonomics,” he said. “Overall, Quest is better for the vast majority of things that people use mixed reality for.”
Whether Zuckerberg’s return salvo will land with consumers remains to be seen.
But if Apple begins to release sales figures for the Vision Pro, it could be good news for Meta investors as it might finally shame Meta into publishing more statistics around demand for the Quest 3.
Needless to say, there will be plenty of entertainment to come in what has been aptly dubbed the “Nerd Goggle Wars.”
